In An Instant
by Neko Kuroban
Summary: An online friendship should never be this stressful. Serena/Darien. Discontinued but preserved for posterity.
1. Chapter One: Light in our Eyes

Instant Messages in the Night By Neko Kuroban Chapter One:  
Blinded by Light

~~~Serena~~~

The weekend would be a welcome comfort, but Friday afternoon was just as good in my humble opinion.

My best friend, Amy Anderson, was sitting on the floor, leaning against my bed. She was reading a thick, hardcover book of poetry that Mom had given me for my last birthday. "This was my favorite when I was your age," she told me. "I hated to read until I discovered that language could be so beautiful," she added wistfully. I know she wanted me to get something out of it, but I had never even taken it off my bookshelf, much less opened it.

It wasn't that I didn't read. I read...stuff. Manga. Comic books. Gossip magazines. Teen Vogue.

Amy looked up from her poetry. "Have you started on your project?"

I knew at once what she was talking about.

We had a paper due for a computer technology class. Amy was at the top of the class, I was lagging far behind. Still it was my paper idea Miss Haruna had praised. I'd gotten the idea to write about perceived gender and the way people treat others on the Internet, inspired by my latest bout of online gaming. I had been planning to put it off until the night before it was due, like I did with all of my school assignments.

"A little."

I lied without thinking. I used to think lying was the worst thing someone could do, but I've had to change my stance in recent months. I bit my bottom lip until a small amount of blood filled my mouth, feeling guilty. Why would I lie to Amy?

Even worse, why would I lie so badly?

She saw through me. "Can I see it?"

"Sure."

"Okay."

She rose to her feet and marked her page with a bookmark she had found. That struck me as strange: I always just turned down the corner of a page when I was reading - if I read at all. Amy crossed the room and took a seat at my desk. She leaned to press the button to bring my computer out of hibernation.

"What's your password?" She asked when prompted.

I sighed and abandoned my Sailor V manga, leaving it face-down on the carpet. I punched in the code she requested. "You know I haven't started," I said, annoyed.

She sighed. "I didn't think you'd lie to me about it." She ran her hand through her hair. "Do you want my help with this project?"

"I just want it will be done in time."

"It will, I promise," Amy reassured me.

"And with as little pain as possible."

Amy giggled. "I'll try to make this as painless as possible for you, but you know I have to go home in half an hour." She stood up and moved, so that I could sit at my computer desk. "Click on the little blue icon at the bottom of the screen," Amy instructed as if talking to a cute yet dim three-year-old.

Inwardly, I frowned at being talked down to. "Okay. Next."

"Let me do this part. What do you want your screen name to be? You should make an account different from your normal one for this project."

"MoonLightChic?" I suggested. "It's different enough, I guess. And girly. My normal account is FortuneSoldier."

"Try posting in the forums as your new account to see how people treat you. I have to be home in five minutes!" She exclaimed, looking at the miniscule clock at the bottom of the screen. She grabbed a sheet of looseleaf and quickly outlined what I had to do. Her handwriting is perfect. It isn't dotted with hearts much like that of almost every other girl I know, including myself. She gathered her things. "I'll IM you later, okay?"

"Okay..." I trailed off.

She ran out of the room and disappeared down the stairs. I briefly considered pulling up my game client, but maybe if Mom saw me working hard on this project, she might be happy and not tense for once.

I finished typing my initial post on the bulliten board and clicked 'submit,' and then I realized it would take awhile for the message to process and for people to be able to read it.

Surely I deserved a reward? I changed out of my school uniform, grabbed my purse, and sprinted outside.

~~~ Darien ~~~

I was leaving the Crown Game Center after an enjoyable enough afternoon (spent playing the newest incarnation of 'Legacy' and talking to Andrew) when something collided with my chest and I stumbled. Regaining my balance (and my dignity), I looked down to see who had collided with me.

Serena Tsukino.

The girl was adorable. Almost anyone would have to give her that, with that golden hair and those blue eyes. But somehow she managed to unnerve me, ever since that day she had thrown that crumpled test at my head. I don't pretend to understand it.

When she's around, the only thing I can understand is the fury welling up inside me.

"I'm not in the mood for you today," she announced, already storming over to the Sailor V games.

"Whatever."

It wasn't the best parting shot. Better luck next time.

The house where I live has never been a home. I went straight to my bedroom and logged onto the internet. There was a new user on the message board I moderate - no one I recognized. I wondered if it was a spammer, but the new user seemed decent, if desperate for attention.

Why is the MMORPG's server still down? They said they would fix this! I'm so bored!

I glanced at the IRC chat. She was logged in.

Hi, I wrote. Welcome to the forum. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a PM!

Her reply came immediately:

MoonLightChic: Hi! Whatcha doing?

Earth_Saver: Working on a project.

MoonLightChic: What's it about?

Earth_Saver: Well, it's kind of embarassing.

MoonLightChic: I don't judge.

Earth_Saver: ...It's a novelization of an old video game.

MoonLightChic: Pong? No, wait! Minesweeper.

Earth_Saver: ...Final Fantasy VII.

MoonLightChic: God, what a loser. Just kidding! FF7, huh? Aeris or Tifa?

Earth_Saver: Ha, ha No preference.

MoonLightChic: Typical guy. I'm all about Aeris and Cloud!

Earth_Saver: Most girls are.

MoonLightChic: You're a gamer. Do you actually know that many girls?

Earth_Saver: I go to a school with four hundred guys, but trust me, girls aren't some strange and mysterious species. Anyway, I have to go. I have calculus to look forward to, and I can't justify procrastinating when the server's down.

MoonLightChic: Look, I'm sorry for making fun of you. If the game's back up tomorrow, do you want to go raiding together? I'll try to be online tomorrow night around seven. If I can manage it.

(Earth_Saver signed off at 6:45:09 PM)

~~~ Serena ~~~

"Serena!"

Mom has a way of shrilling my name that always makes me jump.

"Serena!"

It also never fails to be annoying. "Yes, Mother?"

"Telephone!"

I sighed, got up, and crossed to the door. My bedroom opened out onto the landing at the top of the stairs. My mother stood at the foot of the staircase, cordless phone in her outstretched hand.

"Toss it up," I suggested, and she raised her eyebrow.

"Like fun," she said, which was her way of saying "like hell." "It's Mina."

"Oh!" I raced down the stairs, grabbing the cordless phone from her hand. I planted a kiss on her cheek to wipe the annoyance from her face and ducked into the living room. "My Mina!"

"Hullo, Serena!"

Mina's posh British accent made me smile. "Hey!"

It was easy to imagine her hanging upside down from her loft bed, twirling the telephone cord. "I wanted to lure you over to the dark side. Would you like to go shopping with me tomorrow? I have a modeling shoot, and I need clothes that are sexy without being...trampy."

I laughed. "I'd be happy to. Are you inviting Amy? We'll let her look at books while we're tarting you up..."

~~~ Darien ~~~

"Sure " I found myself agreeing. "We haven't gone anywhere together for a while."

~~~ Serena ~~~

We never got around to dressing Mina up. Amy wanted to stay at the bookstore and listen to a lecturer, and Mina thought he was cute, and so...

"Can we just go, you guys?" I asked in a whisper. "I'm starving to death here! And this line's hardly moving!"

The lecturer was signing copies of his own book, and the line was inching along. He seemed to be having an in depth conversation with every fan.

"Pleeeeeeeease?"

I must have been louder than I thought. I ignored all the odd glances I received from people in front of us. I didn't care. The sight of all of those books made me feel dizzy, and I was hungry on top of that.

"Tell you what," Mina broke in. "You and I will go to get lunch, and Amy can get her book signed. She can just meet us there. Is that quite all right?"

Amy smiled. "Fine by me."

"Yes! Food! Let's go!"

Mina and I walked into the Art Deco styled diner, only to find it was unusually crowded today.

A skinny waitress with big you-know-what's walked over. "Sorry," she said. She didn't look apologetic. "But we don't have any "

Mina surged past her. "Andy!" she called, frantically waving to the blonde boy.

I followed her gaze to a large round booth in the corner. Sitting at the table and sipping chocolate milkshakes was none other than Darien Shields. Another boy, one who I didn't recognize, was sitting on his other side.

With a sigh, I walked over. "Hi, Andrew."

"Hey, Mina," Andrew greeted, smiling at Mina like I wasn't there. "What's up?"

The waitress was pouting at being ignored. "I said, 'We don't have any more tables open!'"

"You all can sit with us," Andrew suggested. "There's plenty of room, and we haven't even ordered yet."

The busty waitress threw up her hands. "Fine! Sit wherever you like! Sit anywhere!"

I shook my head frantically. "No! No, no, no, no, no, no! No!"

Mina was already sitting in the booth. "Yes," she said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me into the seat next to her.

Amy had to laugh when she came in to find me and Darien glaring at one another. "Hi." She smiled at the unknown guy. "I'm Amy."

He offered her a shy smile. "Greg."

~~~ Darien ~~~

I hate restaurants.

Especially waiting for others to make up their mind about what they want to order.

"I want...um..." Serena was studying the menu. It was standard American fare. No frills, no surprises. But she was looking at it as if she expected it to offer her ahi tuna and filet mignon. "A bacon cheeseburger without any lettuce or tomato, French fries on the side, an ice cream sundae and...um...diet Coke to drink, I guess."

The waitress leaned over to collect the menus, once again showing off her expansive bosom. Ken blushed slightly, even amidst his conversation with Amy. Our server trotted off, her high heels clicking against the linoleum floor. Andrew barely noticed: Mina was plastered up against his arm.

That just left Serena, shredding a straw wrapper into bits.

I leaned over. "What are you planning to do with all that food, kid? Store fat for next winter?"

I shouldn't have been surprised when she stormed off. But somehow... 


	2. Chapter Two: Dreams

Instant Messages in the Night By: Neko Kuroban Chapter Two:  
Dreams

~~~Serena~~~

I sat on a large rock at the beach on Earth we had claimed as our own. It was safe and secluded here, but I could not help but worry: the world outside was a dangerous one, and Endymion was late.

The sun was setting over the water by the time I heard the sound of horseshoes against the sand.

I stood, shielding my eyes from the sun. He stopped about twenty feet away from me, proud and regal upon his gorgeous white stallion. He slowly dismounted as I ran to him - all good breeding forgotten - and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"I missed you."

I sighed and laid my head against his chest. For a few fleeting moments, I enjoyed the warmth and comfort of being in his strong arms.

"I missed you as well," he murmured into my ear and captured my lips in a quick kiss. I deepened it, and we held it for a moment longer. I tightened my grip around him, and he...

Without warning, he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder.

"You brute! What was that for?" Hastily, I struggled to fix the skirts of my gown. "Put me down!"

"I don't think I will." I couldn't see his face, but his grin was evident in his voice.

"How do you expect me to marry you? You can't even carry me to your horse properly!"

I snuggled closer to him, just listening to the birds sing as the sun rose. I never felt so much at peace with the world as I did when I was with him. The world around us, however, could hardly be considered peaceful.

"Morning already, Sere?"

With a groan, Endymion rolling over to face me. We hadn't made love; we had merely spent the night in one other's arms.

"Afraid so." I smiled, even though I didn't feel much like smiling, and rose from our shared bed. "I have to go. Mother will worry."

"Let her worry," he said, watching me dress. "It could do her some good."

I spun around, placed my hands on my hips, and gave him a withering look.

"I know," he said and sighed.

We exchanged a slow, lingering kiss - for a moment, we were the youth and the girl we rarely got to be - on his balcony.

"Good luck," he whispered. "And be careful."

"Aren't I always?"

When I woke up, I was crying. 


	3. Chapter Three: Wish I Knew

~~~Serena~~~

I was late going home - detention, as usual. Fortunately, Haruna was on duty today, so I was just  
expected to help her run a virus scan program on the computers and she let me listen to music as I  
worked. The hallways of my school were completely empty, and I wasn't paying attention. My headphones  
were still in, and I was exhausted.

Dead on my feet, really.

Or on my butt, once someone smacked into me.

I felt like crying when I opened my eyes - when had I closed them? - to see Darien Shields standing  
over me. I expected some stupid comment, something juvenile and middle school. He tried to help me up,  
but I wouldn't let him.

"Serena-"

I cut him off. "I know, I know," I said. "Watch where I'm going. Don't even bother insulting me. I've  
got it covered."

"That wasn't what I was going to say," he protested.

"You know what, why are you even here? You don't go here. Go back to your big-ass private school," I  
added over my shoulder as I tried to leave.

"Serena."

I whirled. "What?"

"I'm here to tutor younger kids. This is the place where the at risk group I volunteer with on Thursdays  
meets, but I..."

He was blushing. Blushing!

"Are you still...do you still need help with math?"

"Are you serious?" I blurted out.

"As a heart attack."

I weighed my options. "Fine. My house. Tomorrow. Four o' clock. Tell no one."

~~~Darien~~~

Does she know that her smile is infectious?

~~~Serena~~~

Darien Shields was sitting at our kitchen table, trying to pretend he wasn't interested in looking  
around the house. I was sitting at our kitchen table, trying to pretend that I was interested in the  
contents of a calculus textbook.

We were both failing.

"Do you understand?"

The most I could manage was a vague "uh-huh." It kind of made sense. If you squinted. "You're not very  
good at this whole teaching thing, are you?"

"Serena!" That was my mom standing at the stove, completely scandalized. "It was very nice of Darien to  
come over. He didn't have to."

Of course Darien had charmed her in about thirty seconds flat.

"No," Darien said and sighed. "You're right. I'm not as good at this as I thought I was."

I patted him on the head as if he were a puppy. "It's okay. You tried. And besides, it's just as well:  
if I ever get anything right, none of my teachers will ever believe it's me."

My mother came to join us at the table. "Serena, you're problem isn't a lack of intelligence. It's that  
you don't apply yourself enough."

Darien seemed interested. "What do you mean?"

"Serena used to have quite high marks," Mom confided. She had that glow to her that she used to get  
whenever she bragged about me. "But these days?" She made a vague "so so" hand gesture. "Of course, it  
would also help if she were more organized and if she had someone keeping her on task. But I doubt her  
teachers are willing to take the time." She sighed. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

~~~Darien~~~  
Something in Serena's eyes made me decline.

"No thanks. I'm going to meet one of my friends somewhere to play video games and have dinner."

(It was true, but I don't think the friend in question would mind if I bailed on him.)

Mrs. Tsukino smiled at me. "Some other time then!" she said brightly. "I need to go pick up Sammy. Do  
you need a ride home?"

Her eyes flickered from me to Serena, and I understood. "I'm just about to leave," I promised.

Or at least I was until Serena smiled at me. "So I've heard you like video games?"

~~~Serena~~~

Darien ended up staying for dinner. And I have to say, I think Mom's in love with him. She actually  
hugged him when he left! And Sammy's probably his biggest fan in the world. Mom insisted on driving him  
home.

"I still hate him," I said as we watched him walk inside.

When we got home, I ran upstairs to my computer. There was something on my mind: my new online friend.  
We'd been chatting back and forth for a week, and I'd forgotten my school assignment entirely. I  
wouldn't use him like that. He treated me differently because he knew I was a girl, but...

What if I sent him a picture of me?

~~~Darien~~~

MoonLightChic signed on, and my mood brightened. I didn't usually form attachments to strangers on the  
internet, but she seemed to be an exception to the rule.

MoonLightChic: Hi!  
Earth_Saver: Hello. :)  
MoonLightChic: Guess what?  
Earth_Saver: I haven't the faintest idea.  
MoonLightChic: I have a present for you!

"Odd..."

Earth_Saver: A present? MoonLightChic: Hint the first: it's a picture! Hint the second: it's of me!  
MoonLightChic want to connect for IM Images.  
MoonLightChic is now connected.

I watched as the photograph downloaded.

MoonLightChic: I just... I don't know. I wanted you to know what I looked like. Earth_Saver: Hang on.  
MoonLightChic: Sure.

Well, this explains a lot.

Earth_Saver: Have you ever thought about meeting in person?


	4. Chapter Four: Another Sleepless Night

I heard my love wake up. (In the interest of accuracy: I didn't hear her so much as she kicked me in the shin as she streched.)

"Morning already, Sere?"

She was hurrying to arrange her blonde hair. "Mother will be worried."

"Let her worry."

I kissed her on the balcony - hard, enjoying our last moments of freedom.

When I returned inside, I was greeted with a whisper:

"You're lucky I'm not Father."

I turned around quickly to see my younger sister standing behind me with a self-satisfied smile.

"What do you think your doing?" I demanded. "And what do you mean by that?"

"Well..." She lingered over the word. "I came in here because I need your help. Haven't you and your lady been forbidden to spend time together?"

She was right.

She didn't wait for me to say anything before she continued, voice conversational, "So I have a problem and you might be able to help..." 


	5. Chapter Five: Interruptions

*~Serena~*

I woke up and ran over to the computer. Today was the day I was going to meet Earth_Saver! I felt happier then I normally would have. Maybe this guy was the one I had been dreaming about?

To my immense suprise... he was online.

Moonlightchic: Hi. Can we chat?  
Earth_Saver: Sure!  
Moonlightchic: So what are you doing up so late? Pull an all nighter?  
Earth_Saver: I just woke up, actually. Couldn't sleep.  
Moonlightchic: Ooh! Ooh! Same here! Maybe we're connected by some weird paralell universe.  
Earth_Saver: What?  
Moonlightchic: LOL. Sorry! Did you have a good dreams?  
Earth_Saver: They were fine. Moonlightchic: What'd you dream about?  
Earth_Saver: The moon.  
Moonlightchic: Really?  
Earth_Saver: Why is that interesting?

*~Darien~*

She didn't respond.

The phone rang. I ran to answer. "Hello?"

"Hi, Darien!"

"Who is this?"

"It's Raye! Don't tell me you forgot all about me."

Raye? I haven't seen her in years. "Oh," I said. "Uh. Hi," I managed at last, and she giggled. "What made you call?"

"I was thinking about you," she said. "And I decided that we both acted like idiots in the past. Maybe we should get together tonight at about 5:45. Does that sound good?"

Oh, God. I was supposed to meet Serena at six!

"Raye," I began. "Not that I don't appreciate you calling and trying to make amends, but-"

"Thanks, Darien!" she interrupted. "I knew you would help me out!"

How do I get myself into these things? 


	6. Chapter Six: Coffee, Rock Stars and What...

~*~Darien~*~

I walked into the arcade slowly. Raye was sitting there smugly, the proverbial cat with cream. She waved at me. I checked my watch. It was already 5:42.

I still had time to explain to Raye.

I stole a sideways glance at her. "Raye?"

At the exact same time, she spoke. "Darien, there's something I need to tell you."

"You go first."

"Well, you probably think the reason I asked you here is because I still haven't gotten over the sting of a year ago." She paused to take a breath. "But the truth is that I have."

I rarely get irritated, but suddenly I grew angry. "Then why did you ask me here?"

"I needed you to do something for me."

"What is that?"

A frown passed over her delacate features. "I need you to pretend to be my date to get him to notice me."

"Who are we talking about here?"

Raye jerked her head in the direction of a boy sitting two tables behind us. "Chad."

I looked at him. Shaggy dark brown hair fell into his hazel eyes, and he was wearing baggy jeans. A black t-shirt hugged his skinny frame muscles. He wore a spiked necklace and a snake ring. His eyes (although I couldn't see them) were clearly focused on Raye.

"Raye!"

"What?"

"I am not here to help you get your next ex-boyfriend."

"Please?" She looked at me with pleading eyes.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm supposed to meet someone in ten minutes!"

"Why didn't you tell them you had other plans?"

"I didn't think I would have to be here."

"Why didn't you tell me on the phone this morning?"

"You never gave me a chance."

"Are you saying that I don't listen to people?"

Before I could react I felt something hot splash my shirt - coffee, black, just the way she liked.

I groaned and checked my watch.

Eight minutes.

Was that time enough to shower and change?

*~*Serena*~*

Mina was the only one I had trusted enough to tell about Earth_Saver-and the only one I trusted enough to help me get ready.

"How does this look?" I asked as I turned around.

Mirrors lie. Friends don't.

I was wearing a knee-length pink sundress with a white cardigan. My hair was gathered into a loose ponytail and tied off with a white ribbon. I rarely wore makeup, but today I had on a little bit of pink blush and pale pink lipstick-Mina's idea.

Mina gasped.

I glared and reached to wipe my lipstick off with the back of my hand. "Oh, come on, Mina. I can't look that ugly. Can I?"

Mina gained some composure and grabbed my hand before I could ruin it. "No! It's not that, Serena. You look great."

"Really?"

She nodded. "What time are you supposed to meet this guy?"

"At six." I brushed a imaginary wrinkle out of my skirt.

"Well, you better go now," Mina replied. "It's already 5:39."

~*~Darien~*~

I parked my car by the curb and ventured a look at the clock.

6:20.

Damn.

I looked around for Serena. I spotted her sitting on a bench.

She looked...amazing. Golden hair spilled from a white satin ribbon and looked like honey flowing from a pitcher. Her already pretty face wore a sad and expectant expression, and her features were enhanced-make-up or some other girl thing. Her wide baby-blue eyes had a far-away searching look.

I walked towards her. 


	7. Chapter Seven: Fury

~~~ Serena ~~~~

'Where is this guy?' I wondered and lowered my gaze to the pink and white watch on my wrist. 6:34. 'He must have...stood me up...' I realized.

I don't know why I teared up. I guess I'd expected...well, whatever I had expected, this wasn't it. I knew my tears were ruining my cosmetics and attracting stares, but I made no move to brush them away. Sometimes you just need to cry.

"Are you okay?" a familiar male voice asked from behind.

I jerked around.

To my displeasure there stood Darien, clad in tan kahkis and a black t-shirt...and that God-awful green blazer.

"You!" I snapped, ready to rip the guy a new one. 'Could my day get any worse?'

"Yes. Me." Did he sound nervous? Or was it just me? "There's something-"

I cut him off. "I was supposed to meet someone here, and instead you turn up!"

People turned around, drawn by my loud voice, but I took no notice. Why shouldn't I take my anger out on Darien? He deserves it.

"You show up, ruining my entire day, and you'll probably go on to ruin my entire life, and-"

"Serena-I-"

His attempt to get my attention was entirely futile; I was too far into my tirade.

"You know what?" I took another deep breath. "Darien Shields, I hate you! No! I take that back. I loathe you!" I couldn't help stomping my foot and adding, "I bet you didn't know I knew words like that. I know you think I'm some ditzy, blonde, moron who could get lost in a walk in closet. You and my mom both. Have a nice life."

~~~Darien~~~

I watched as Serena walked away. Even furious, she was beautiful, her hair swinging behind her, looking like a goddess.

I took a breath. What had I expected anyway? Certainly not this. But...

I turned to watch her go down the sidewalk. I wanted to run up and apologize for everything I have ever said to her that was cruel or hurt her in any way. I wanted to hold her until the end of eternity.

But I can't.

~~~Serena~~~

Mina was waiting in her car. I was crying too hard to explain what happened. "Just take me home," I sniffled. "I'll tell you everything later. I just want to go home now."

No one was home, and I ran straight into my room. The setting sun streaming in through the window made my childish bedroom seem even more cheerful and happy than ever. Luna was asleep in a ball at the foot of my bed.

The computer sitting on the desk caught my attention. I unplugged my laptop and pulled it into bed with me. I slid under the blankets, careful not to disturb Luna.

My e-mail was slow to load. I was itching to type an "extremely pissed" e-mail as quickly as possible. I was surprised when I saw an alert that I had one new message.

How could Earth_Saver could even show his face online? 


	8. Chapter Eight: If I Could Kiss Your Tear...

***Serena***

I clicked on 'Read Message', all the while cursing my computer for not loading faster. I wanted to see what kind of pathetic excuse he had for not showing up today.

This feeling of being furious and dejected was strange and foreign to me. I felt like his absence had somehow ripped a part of myself away, a hopeful part I was not yet ready to let go.

His message appeared:

My dear Moonlight,

I'm terribly sorry for not showing up this afternoon. I was detained. I feel awful about what had happened, and I want you to know that I wish I could kiss your tears away.

Yours,

Earth_Saver

My irritation faded. A new, stronger feeling took its place: guilt.

Darien Shields was a jerk and a creep, but he had done nothing to deserve my tirade earlier. I wished I knew his phone number! I would call him in a heartbeat and explain. Well, maybe not explain. Apologize, at least.

My face grew hot at the thought, even just sitting there in my room, 'No wonder you don't have a boyfriend! You can't talk about online friends in front of a guy! You haven't even told Mina!'

I glanced toward my buddy list.

He was online.

Moonlightchic: Can we chat?

Earth_Saver: Sure.

Moonlightchic: I need some advice.

Earth_Saver: Ask away!

Moonlightchic: Well, you see, there's this guy, and he's a jerk to me. I told you about him, didn't I?

Earth_Saver: You did. Go on.

Moonlightchic: Today I was so mean to him! Full-on bitchiness. He didn't even do anything to deserve it (for once). I was crying at the park, and he offered me a tissue. I needed someone to yell at. You can guess the rest.

Earth_Saver: Hey. We all do things we don't mean when we're upset. I'm sure he understands that.

Moonlightchic: You think so?

Earth_Saver: I do. Given your history with this guy, I don't think you should worry about it too much.

Moonlightchic: But should I apologize?

Earth_Saver: It's your decision.

Moonlightchic: I will! I have to do it.

Earth_Saver: Good luck.

Moonlightchic: All right, I'm headed for bed. School tomoorow.

Earth_Saver: Goodnight. Sweet dreams.

Moonlightchic: Love you.

Earth_Saver: And I you.

I quickly signed off and closed the lid of my laptop.

It had been an wonderful night after all.

'Do I love him?' I wondered as I undid my hair. I smiled. 'Yes.'

***Darien***

Serena had signed off, but I continued to stare at the screen.

I couldn't believe what I had written. My fingers had typed the letters, my eyes had seen the sentence as it formed, and my fingers had pressed 'send'-but my brain couldn't process the message, even though it was flashing on the screen in front of me.

And I you.

I hadn't been able to say "love." I've never used the word 'love' when it came to a girl before.

'What about Sailor Moon?' a part of my mind asked.

It was my duty to protect Sailor Moon. She was my destiny. But...if I have a sliver of a chance with Serena, I want to take it.

(Although, I thought wryly, getting Sailor Moon-a champion of love and justice-to fall in love with me would likely be far easier at this point.)

After everything I had done to Serena, I deserved much more then her rant this afternoon. And I wanted to at least make things right between us. And could I do that while still hiding who I was from her?

With a sigh, I shut down the computer. It was time for bed.

***Serena***

I jolted awake.

Crap. I had been having the most wonderful dream, too. I was married to a handsome prince with dark hair and the mother of an amazing, giving child-and somehow I had become the kind of person who deserved them both.

Here's the embarassing part: the Prince looked an awful lot like...Darien? 'Married to him? Ew.' I shook my head as I kicked the bunny-patterned blanket to the floor.

I hurried to dress, no longer tired, moving swiftly in my dark bedroom. I knew exactly what this feeling was: someone was in danger.

"MOON CRISIS POWER!"

***Darien***

A voice in my head woke me up.

'She's in danger. Go and protect her.'

*** 


	9. Chapter Nine: Beneath the Stars

~~~ Serena ~~~

'Kisama,' I thought reflexively and winced at the rapidly-darkening spot on my leg. Slowly I attempted to climb back to my feet, using the brick wall of the bank as support.

A pair of warm arms wrapped around my waist from behind, and I turned my head to see Tuxedo Mask standing behind me, a smile gracing his face (or what I could see of it anyway), and his black cape fluttering ceremoniously in the wind. My heartbeat quickened. He smiled at me as if I was beautiful, even though I realize I'm not majorly attractive right. Two parallel cuts on my right leg were surrounded by dried blood, a violet bruise was forming on my left leg, and my eye was swollen and blackened.

And with his arms around me, I'm feeling strangely lightheaded.

Stop it, brain! I have a guy I like already! Wait a second...

He yelled at the monster to distract it: "This Earth's beauty isn't fit for one such as you!"

Could it be...

"Just focus," he advised me in a whisper.

How could I when his arms were still around my waist?

I nodded and lifted my wand.

A sphere of pink-white energy hurtled toward the *thing* that *dare* attack the poor, crumpled girl. (She looked college-age, and I imagined she was probably heading back to her dorm or shitty apartment. She was wearing a 7-Eleven polo, and I imagined that she spent the night hating her life and looking forward to her three hours of sleep.) Before the monster could dodge the blast, I removed my tiara and flung it, purposely aiming for the left.

The beast's laughing was cut off as the disc of metal hit it from behind, cracking its exoskeleton. The impact - and the surprise - knocked it into my blast. It disintegrated him instantly.

Tuxedo Mask nodded at me in approval. "Well done."

"Thanks."

Together, we walked further down the alley, step in step. Once we were out of the girl's sight, he leaned carelessly against the wall. He crossed his arms in a way that seemed oddly familiar.

I grew suspicious. "Who are you?"

He looked at the littered cement. "You know I can't tell you that."

I reached out to touch his arm. "Come on! You can tell me!"

He yanked it back. Was he glaring at me from behind that mask? "You shall know in time." He jumped into the air, and he was gone.

~~~ Darien ~~~

I watched as she sighed and hung her head. She walked down the alleyway. Her knee-high boots made little noise against the cement. On the roof top, I matched her pace.

Sailor Moon abruptly stopped and pulled off her brooch. Ribbons of pure energy surrounded for an instant and then disappeared. In their wake stood a slim, golden-haired angel in light blue pajamas.

Serena. 


	10. Chapter Ten: Pain

~~~ Serena ~~~

I made my way home slowly, my injuries throbbing and my head light. It was as if an odd dullness had crept over my senses. I felt like I was being watched by something I could not quite describe. Letting myself inside my house, I glanced over my shoulder once more.

Nothing.

'What had you expected anyway?' a traitorous voice inside my mind demanded.

It was only after I had softly closed the door to my bedroom and crawled back beneath the blanket that I realized I was shaking.

What was going on?

Was I in shock?

'If I am, I should stay still, right?' I clutched the blankets tighter, tucking the edges beneath myself. It was a treatment I had once seen on an old episode of ER.

I cast a glance to the small, digital clock on my nightstand. There were only two hours until my alarm would go off to wake me for school. Could I last that long?

Death.

The coppery scent of blood mixed with the rot of decay greeted my senses. I wanted to vomit. I missed the days when I had carried strong smelling salts in the pockets of my gowns, but this was now and now I only had a filthy, blood-stained gown.

A cold laugh met my ears, and I saw what she wanted me to see.

"Endymion!"

I flung myself over his chest, sobbing brokenly.

"Serenity-"

"Endymion, I love you. I love you. You know that, don't you? I-I'm so sorry-oh, God-"

With his last breath, he managed to smile, although it must have pained him. "Don't cry, my love. It... it doesn't suit you."

And then he was silent.

I sharply dug my front teeth into the soft skin of my lip to stop crying. I allowed a new emotion to overtake my sorrow, one that a princess of the moon is rarely accustomed to: fury.

I grabbed his sword, already stained from months of combat against his own race. I managed to adopt a stance I had often seen him practice in, and in a whisper, I made my promise: "I'll avenge you, Endymion..."

"Serena! Wake up! You're going to be late for school!"

I forced my lethargic body out of my warm bed, ignoring the sharp, shooting pain as my limbs protested. "I'm up!" I tried to yell, but it came out as a hoarse whisper.

Getting dressed took effort. With slow, clumsy fingers, I buttoned my crisp, white blouse. I tried to ignore my throbbing head. But little beads of sweat lined my brow as I pulled on my navy school skirt, and I found myself gasping for breath as I sat down on my bed to don my socks and shoes.

'This isn't right. It shouldn't take this much effort...'

When I looked at the mirror above my dresser, I saw that I looked almost as bad as I felt. I had dark circles under both eyes. One of them was still bruised and swollen from the night before, although not as bad as it had been. My skin was pale, and I couldn't help but flinch at how sickly I looked. Hollow blue eyes stared back at me, framed by a tangled mess of limp blonde hair. I couldn't imagine taking the effort to brush it out. I grabbed an elastic band from the surface of my dresser and pulled all of my hair into a messy bun.

I headed downstairs, using the white-painted railing as support.

As I walked in the kitchen, Sammy looked up from playing with Luna. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Eww..."

Mom took one look at me and made her decision. "Back to bed. Now."

The trip back upstairs seemed as challenging as scaling a rock wall. Somehow I made it. I managed to strip down to my underwear and bra before collapsing onto my bed.

Sometime around noon, I awoke, in pain and disoriented.

My mom was sitting in my desk chair, holding the book of poetry she has given me so long ago. "Serena!"

"Ugh," I groaned. My head was throbbing. "Hi, Mom."

"We have to talk."

She moved to sit beside me on my bed.

"Are you...are you okay?" She placed her cold hand on my searing cheek. It was obvious that she was choosing her words with great care. "You're always tired. You're - excuse me for saying this - constantly eating like there's no tomorrow. You spend all your time running from friend's house to friend's house, never at home. Your grades are falling. And you have that awful black eye. Is...is there something you want to tell me?" 


	11. Chapter Eleven: News

**Title:** Instant Messages in the Night

**Author:** Neko Kuroban

**Chapter:** Eleven of (hopefully) fifteen?

**Chapter Title:** News

**Pairings:** Serena/Darien, Raye/Chad, hints of Mina/Andrew, and hints of Amy/Greg

**Rating:** low PG-13

**Author's Notes:** Here's a long chapter for you all! I broke a hundred reviews! Thank you all so much! *hugs everyone who reviewed, smiling broadly* I was planning to make this chapter longer, but well....I really, really wanted to, but if I added anymore, it would've destroyed much of chapter twelve! Honest! Also, everyone is relatively in character, except maybe Greg...and Raye was fun to write.

**Instant Messages in the Night**

**Chapter Eleven:**

**News**

*****Serena*****

I broke into a fit of coughs, and forced a relatively naïve smile, when I had regained my breath. "It's nothing really, Mom. I probably just caught that bug that's going around my school. And I've been up late for awhile..." I quickly racked my brain for an answer that would please her, "Because it's the final quarter of the school year, and I want to be able to get into an honors class next year. Or at least try."

Mom's eyebrows furrowed together in a pained, concerned expression, "And your leg...it isn't like you to be getting into fights..."

I bit my lip, looking around the room, like that would give me an answer. Through the open door, I spotted the blue-carpeted hallway stairs - or rather, the white-painted railing that I had a good view of from my bedroom. "I was hungry the other night, and I was going downstairs to get something to eat 'cause I knew we had Twinkies. I tripped over Sammy's shoes - they were sitting on the edge of the steps - and I fell." I sighed, shifting around under the thin bunny-covered blankets, "And add some fights with that total and complete ass, Darien -"

"Watch your language." She chided, although her tone was remarkably gentle for such a command.

"Okay, okay, that irritating jerk, Darien," I was glad she didn't catch the eye-roll, or the wince that immediately followed. "And some boy problems, too." I tried to sigh miserably, like a tragic heroine of a fantasy novel, but instead started coughing, and immediately reached for a glass of water Mom must have put on my night stand, knocking over a pastel pink flower-patterned box of tissues in the process.

Mom sighed and got to her feet, "Okay, Serena, I believe you. Get some rest." She smoothed the summery quilt at my feet with a sad smile and picked up the Kleenex box, then left the room.

But, inside I bet she doesn't.

*****Darien*****

The scene at the arcade, almost half an hour after school let out, was rather depressing to a single guy like myself. Especially when there was a gorgeous, enticing girl that the afore mentioned single guy was falling in love with, but she had no clue.

Andrew had, in an exceptional moment of reckless attraction, decided to take a break, so Lizzy, who had just arrived, was wiping off the counter – still cluttered with rings left from drink glasses, straws, left over French fries from the lunch rush which was handled by the manager's son, who worked here during the mornings and early afternoons, Peter – and a few empty booth tables while he was playing a two-player round of 'Aphrodite's Hunt' with Mina. Raye, by the looks of it, was getting to know Chad's tonsils on a very personal basis, in a corner that wasn't as secluded behind a few leafy potted plants as the priestess and the potential rock star obviously thought. [1]

_'Well I'm glad that _someone's_ getting some joy out of all this.'_ I mused, and was about to turn to my open textbook when the door opened.

Amy Anderson, Serena's pretty, blue – haired friend came in, followed closely by Greg. The sapphire-eyed girl walked over to Mina, and carefully and politely tapped her on the shoulder, whispering something in her ear. With a nod, and a toss of her long, neat ponytail of pale blond hair, Mina pulled her abandoned forest-green book bag onto the dark blue, vinyl seat of a chair, and ruffled through its contents, until she found a standard black day planner that was distributed by most schools at the beginning of the year. She passed it to Amy, who flipped it open to a page close to the end and wrote something down on a piece of loose-leaf she had folded in her chest pocket.

"What's going on?" I asked Greg.

He gave me a half-shrug, kind of odd for someone as shy and reserved as him. "Serena's sick, Amy's getting her homework, but, because they're in different math classes, Amy had to stop to talk with Mina."

That was probably one of the longest statements he's ever made in his life that isn't directly related to school, but I didn't notice, as my head was spinning. 'Serena's sick?'

"Greg, will you wait for me?" Amy asked softly, as she came over to where Greg was standing next to my seat. She removed her book bag, setting it on the floor. He nodded, and gave her a small smile, which she returned, a faint, girlish blush dusting her cheeks, before turning to leave. 

When she was halfway out the door, my body suddenly started acting out of coordination with my mind. I ran to intercept Amy's path, "Can I come with you?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

"Why?" She shifted her grip on the four textbooks and her thick binder, cradled in her arms. 

"I'm worried about Serena." I really should get a lock for my big mouth. I sincerely doubt it will help much, though. It'll probably be way too small.

My comment, however tiny and innocent, got many reactions from the few people at the arcade.

"Oh, it's one of those things, huh?" Mina grinned broadly, turning away from the game box.

"Way to go, Darien!" Andrew called, as 'GAME OVER' flashed broadly on the screen. As he frowned, and pulled another game token out of his pocket, I heard him say softly (or so he thought) to Mina, "You know, it's about time...for awhile, I was starting to think that he didn't even _like_ girls."

She nodded, draping herself over his shoulder to see the game. "Yeah, I know what you mean." 

I felt my face flush a the implications _that_ contained.

An arcade regular – yet another brainless Andrew devotee - snickered cruelly, while her friend catcalled loud enough for the entire country to hear. I remembered suddenly that they were the ones who had witnessed most of Serena and my childish arguments - which often served as entertainment for people waiting to play games or for their food - and egged each of us on in turn.

"Good luck." Greg murmured in my ear, almost inaudibly. I looked at him to see him regarding me coolly, with an guileless smile and his hands tucked into his pockets. "What?" he asked, with all the innocence of a clever three-year-old who was (wisely) blaming the dog for the spilt grape juice on the white carpet and the scribbling on the walls. 

Raye pulled away from Chad. "Have fun!" I smiled slightly at that, pleased she obviously didn't hate me and wouldn't bear a grudge for anything that had happened.

"Luck!" Chad called, recognizing me as the guy who sat next to him today in study hall. He draped his arm around Raye's waist, teasing her long, silky, sable hair with his other. 

"Get some, sonny." advised an old man in a booth near the entryway, peering at me over the bridgework of his thick glasses. 

The aging, ash-blonde woman he was with – his wife, I guess – frowned disapprovingly at him, before sighing femininely, "Ah, young love."

The man almost smiled at her, with a wink. "Nothing's wrong with old love either, Jean."

She beamed up at him, "You're so right, Steve." His wife alright.

As for Amy… she blinked twice, then a small, mischievous grin turned her lips up at the corners. "Of course you can, Darien." She re-arranged her hold on the books, and then suddenly I found myself holding three heavy textbooks with neon book covers, most of which had small doodles in purple pen on them. "So long as you carry some of these. I can't carry them all myself."

I smiled, and pressed them to my chest. "Alright." 

We walked along the sidewalk outside of the strip mall the arcade was located at, moving at a slow, amiable pace. That is, until a small store wedged between the Blockbuster and a tiny coffee place caught my attention. 

"Hey, Amy?" I began, nervously moving the books to one arm to rub the back of my neck, "Is Serena allergic to anything, by any chance?"

Amy's forehead creased, as her eyebrows furrowed together, "No-wait, yes!"

"What?" I asked, a feeling of dread settling in my stomach like a lead weight.

"Shell fish." She answered promptly. "That's the only thing. I remember because of a health assignment we once had."

"Thanks." I set the books down on a wooden bench beneath a streetlight, "Will you wait here? I won't be long..."

"Sure..." She trailed off, "But, why..." The girl cut herself off, after I checked in the pocket of my uniform pants, and strode toward the small dwelling that had 'Pretty Flower Shoppe' in curly colorless script on the pale pink awning above the door.

A bell rang as I pushed the glass door open and walked in to the shop, slightly nervous. The place was brightly lit by efficient, florescent lights, and a wide counter set up in the middle, with a lovely arrangement in a wicker basket near the cash register. Plants were everywhere, except for a small section of one wall, which was covered with a display of cards and a shelf full of stuffed animals. One thing really unnerved me: there was no one behind the counter. 

Swallowing, and praying that whoever it was would be back soon, patient and friendly, I walked over to look at some of the flowers. Why hadn't I asked Amy to come in with me? My idiot, idiot sixteen-year-old self desperately needed a female opinion on this! On impulse, I pulled out a quarter and placed it into the slot of the M&M - filled gumball machine. I needed something to chew on.

"Hi," Came a pleasant, chirpy voice from behind me, causing me to swallow the lump of chocolate in my mouth hurriedly, "Can I help you, or are you just browsing?" 

I turned to see a cheerful-looking girl - my age or a little older - standing behind me, a few strands of golden-brown tresses that had fallen out of her long braid framing her face. She was attractive, but I barely noticed, too relieved at finding someone here, and besides, judging from the tall, muscled, blonde guy standing in an almost guard-like fashion, in the doorway leading to the back room, she was already quite taken. 

The girl smiled kindly at me, her emerald eyes inquisitively flickered to me. She was a few inches shorter then me, and clad in a pink and white T - shirt and pale blue cut-off jean shorts, covered with a ruffled, frilly white apron, and a gold cross pendant on a delicate chain hung around her neck. 

"Hi," I managed, "I, uh, need help."

The boy leaning against the doorframe snickered softly.

"Well, that's what I'm here for! My mom owns the store, I've been working here since I was twelve, so I know everything about this place." She beamed, positively shining at me. "What do you want?"

"I need a bouquet of white roses." I said quickly. 'White roses are what you give people when they're sick, right?' I asked myself, 'Right?'

Her warm, approachable smile turned into an anxious frown. "I'm so sorry...We don't have anymore white roses," Her face was evidently distressed, "A guy came about an hour ago and bought the last six dozen."

"What does someone need six dozen white roses for?" I demanded, once again before I could stop myself.

She shrugged, "His wife broke her leg in two places, two years ago, a day after their first anniversary." She sighed, "Don't ask. I didn't understand it either." Then her expression changed, as if remembering something, "Please, how about an alternative, sir? We have some wonderful red roses..." 

Red roses meant true love, and wouldn't be the effect I wanted to convey. I liked Serena, sure, but I had no way of knowing if what I felt for her was even love, or just infatuation. Also, if I gave her red roses, she would probably jump up on her bed and beat me mercilessly with them, sick or not...

Yet, even through all that, I somehow found myself nodding, saying, "Red roses would be perfect," and following the girl to the cash register. 

"Wait a sec." I told her, before she rang the purchase up, "I need a card." I ran to the card display, and flipped through a few, before deciding on a card without anything pre-written in it, just a black and white picture of two faceless old-fashioned looking people walking hand-in-hand through a forest on the cover. I don't know why I chose it, maybe because it had a fairy-tale like quality to it, and the light hair of the slender young woman on the front and ashen gown reminded me of the girl I only see in my phantom dreams. Almost as an afterthought, I grabbed a plush bunny, a soft shade of rose-pink with floppy ears, remembering Serena had once worn a T-shirt with a similar rabbit. I just hoped that Serena really *did* like rabbits, and it just wasn't a cute T-shirt she had decided to wear that one day. 

As the salesgirl placed the bunny in a store bag, I suddenly interrupted her in the middle of her bidding me a nice day. "Could you give me another bag?" Seeing her confused look, I added, "I have books to carry..."

"Homework?" the girl asked sweetly, and handed me another white, waxy paper bag, "Your girlfriend's pretty lucky to have a boyfriend like you, who remembers this kind of thing." She shot an irritated glance at the thickset blonde.

"What?" He asked with false innocence, and strode over to her, gently wrapping his arms around her waist. His lips teased her neck, hands undoing the ties of her apron. She giggled delicately, the garment falling to the swept tile floor, and spun to face him. Placing her arms firmly and possessively around his neck, their lips met, and she closed her eyes... 

I smiled, envisioning it was myself with Serena with that passion, before I shook myself, and turned to leave. I'd give them that kind of privacy, at least.

Amy stood up from the bench, somewhat annoyed, "What took you so long? It's already four-nineteen!" She lectured me with the essence of a prim school teacher, before smiling upon catching sight of the crimson blooms tucked beneath my arm. I sighed, and crouched, placing the books and her binder in the extra bag. 

"Red roses, hmm?" I didn't need to turn to know that she had one eyebrow cocked in question. 

"It's only because they're out of white." I stood and handed her the bag.

"Sorry," She looked truly apologetic, as she tucked in the crook of her arm, "I was just teasing you."

"I know."

Amy laughed softly, though I suddenly realized that she wasn't as shy as she had been "Serena must be rubbing off on me." 

"Do you have a pen?" I asked, suddenly remembering the card. 

"Oh," She reached into her breast pocket and passed me a ballpoint pen. "Here."

I thought for a moment, and hastily scrawled something on the inside of the card in black ink, trying to make my handwriting as neat as I could with only the uneven wooden bench as a work surface. I straightened, and gave her the instrument back, before tucking the card in the envelope. "Let's go."

We crossed the half-empty parking lot and a bike path, before ending up on the side walk of a residential street. "Come on, there's only a few blocks left to go. That's why Serena and I hang out at the arcade a lot, it's on the way home from school."

I nodded, and a silence passed over us as we walked down the streets, until Amy stopped in front of a suburban-style two-story house. I looked at the trimmed bushes, smiled slightly at the sight of the basket ball hoop over the garage, and two bikes on the side of the house, one was obviously Serena's, judging by the burgundy color and the slight bit of mud on the tires, and I guess the other, smaller one must be her little sister's...wait. Did she have a sister, or was it a younger brother...?

It was in that moment, I realized how little I really knew about Serena Tsukino.

Amy was already heading for the front porch, and I followed quickly. However, as her finger pressed the doorbell, I felt as if I were making the biggest mistake in my life by coming here...

**...To Be Continued...**

Footnotes: 

[1] Raye and Chad: I'm working on an interlude about them, what happened after Darien left in chapter five, I think it was. It'll be up soon. *_sigh_* A tale of deceit, romance, desperation, and the difficulties of acting out one of the most humane phenomenon possible: forgiveness.

**Author's Notes:** He he! I wrote uh... two thousand, eight hundred ninety-nine words already, not including the footnotes, it had better be 'to be continued' by now! *grins proudly, then frowns* My fingers hurt! Anyway, poor Darien! Will Serena be okay? Will the infamous Neko Kuroban, the worst author in the history of the known universe and slowest updater known to human kind, continue this meant-to-be-dark-under-toned-but-now-kind-of-light-hearted fic before she goes mad?

Also, see if you can guess which two video game characters, the girl at the flower shop and her blonde boyfriend were inspired by. I'll give you two hints: in the revised chapter one they're mentioned in the IM conversation, and they're one of the main couples in the most popular Final Fantasy game. Or rather, they're one of my favorite pairings, but were kind of shunted to the side with mindless fluff pairings.


	12. Gasping in Stifled Air

**Title:** Instant Messages in the Night

**Chapter:** Twelve! (You guys must be proud)

**Chapter Title:** Gasping in Stifled Air

**Rating:** High PG, perhaps? 

**Author's Notes:** Apologies for the delay, I was suffering writer's block over Darien's visit. Finally, I decided on a solution. 

***** Serena ******

It was so hot in my bedroom that I was freezing. 

Everything, it seemed, hurt. I felt a dull ache in one ear, heavily searing pain in the back of my throat, and my stomach was twisted up in lumpy knot with the ends tucked in – you know like the one Alexander the Great hacked off with his sword? - yet steadily painful. I was ravenous, having thrown up twice in succession sometime during the last hour, but, by the time I had managed to stagger out of the bathroom, falling down the stairs didn't seem like the most brilliant idea ever. 

Mom had made me eat soup - which I don't really like unless it's the star kind, but don't tell anyone – but it was hard and painful to swallow, and it made me feel like someone was playing racquetball with my tangled, twisted up stomach. 

If my throat hadn't started hurting an hour or so ago, I would have been screaming. I mean, I was  almost positive when I was well, everyone _expected_ me to. At school, the title I've earned by most is a lot less flattering than 'crybaby'. I know I cry a lot, and have a tendency to whine and pitch a fit when things don't go my way, but really is it that bad? The crying thing I can't help. I cried even when I was happy; maybe people tend to cry when they're too full of emotions, and I know that, at best, mine are strong. At worst they're wild and uncontrolled. The whining thing, I was going to try to work on in the future.

Why was this so weird? I had gotten sick before. God, did I ever. I had the chicken pocks after catching it from Sammy when I was twelve, I had strep throat when I was nine and a few colds through out  elementary and middle school. 

Then, after a moment of contemplation about getting sick, I decided that my eyelids were too heavy of the effort of keeping them open any longer….

_His death had changed both Serenity and her mother. _

_To the Queen, it was a setback in the war, and a loss of her daughter's lover. Her own husband had been assassinated at the very beginning of the war, and now she was faced with a scant several hundred survivors of the blitz, along with deciding what course of action she must take. Nights were filled with tossing and turning, and for days at a time, she would keep to herself. _

_Serenity turned out to be the hero. Silently and biting her tongue to keep away complaint, she stepped up to fill her mother's shoes, leading the survivors, including the pensive and shirking queen, into the series of caves and tunnels beneath the moon's surface, that had been built for such a time of tragedy. She seemed as if she were in shock, and rarely spoke to anyone. Her husband – they hadn't even made to their sixth month anniversary – and her father killed in the war, her mother reduced to a hollow shell of the vibrant woman she once was, Serenity had become pale and tight-lipped. _

_She had no one to guide her, both of her mother's advisors had long since began their Journey to the heavens, instead having to rely on knowledge and intuition to aid her in her decisions. _

_She became more reasonable as well, cutting the perfectly straight knee-length gold hair she had been so proud of to her elbows, where she could just braid it and have it stay out of the way. She traded the long dresses, silk stockings and dancing slippers of court life for sensible pants and the pair of boots given to her by a female archer who seemed to have taken pity on the girl. Her transition was practically unheard of, but practical, but all that was on her war-weary mind was vengeance. _

_And training her self to fight._

_She sat on the cold stone floor in the center of the practice room, irritated. She couldn't meditate, every time she had calmed down, a new thought would stray across her mind, jolting her into awareness to realize that _yes_, it _was_ a month since Endymion diedorto find out that no, it was  _still_ snowing out and Serenity thought it was driving her insane; she was half-mad already. _

_Distantly, she wondered what they would be doing if her Endymion were alive. Curling up together on the velvet sofa in front of the oversized fireplace in their chambers could easily turn into so much more… her visions became more explicit, enough to include them still curled up, this time, on a rumpled bed. Serenity shook her head, dismissing the image. _

_Whatever they would do, she certainly wouldn't be sitting here, with _his_ sword on _her_ lap, the fallen blade _still_ stained with _his_ lifeblood because she was too much of a _coward_ to _bear_ cleaning it off, because it seemed like that was _all_ that she had left of him!_

_She leapt to her feet, his blade slicing through the air at an imaginary opponent. She was cursing softly to herself as she fought, most words she had rarely, if ever, used before._

_Finally, the blood-stained sword clattered to the ground, as the girl fell to her knees, tears of pain and rage combined falling. After an eternity, it seemed, she sat up, gasping for air. She hadn't stopped because she was tired of crying, but rather because she didn't have enough tears or breath to go on._

_"Serenity." A calm, dignified voice came from the door. She turned her head to see her mother standing in the door way. The woman was pale with violet circles looking as if they had been burnt beneath her steady, blue-gray gaze. Despite the fact that her long hair, the color of a budding cherry blossom, was tangled and matted, streaked with more gray than Serenity had noticed last time they spoke, and her shoulders were sharp beneath her white silk gown, she looked every inch a queen. "I have made my decision."_

I awoke in slow degrees, nestled in soft warmth that wasn't as intense as before I slept. My vision was fuzzy as I glanced at my clock, squinting at the blurred numbers – five o' clock – and then around the room. 

Huh…the door was closed. It had been open earlier, and their was a stack of books and a vase of crimson roses on my desk. '_Amy must have been here…_' I smiled, then, eyeing the roses, '_And probably Mina, too._'

That's when I heard an unfamiliar female's voice speak  as clearly as if someone was standing next to me. It was kind of like mine, I guess, only … more. It was older and more refined, where mine was playful, as people have told me. Also…. It was….I don't know, the voice of someone who had given up, clinging to life by a bare thread. Not really depressed – it was beyond that, somehow – but instead haunting, sorrowful. Yet there was hope in the tone. 

"I hope you can succeed where I have failed."

The door was closed. I realized suddenly. I would never have heard it like that even if she was standing right there in the hallway.

So…who and where was it from?

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**Author's notes:** Reviews inspire me, and now that my days are no longer consumed by vacation, and my break from the fic is over… (hint, hint)


	13. Moonflesh

Author's Notes: Hey! An update. You never thought you'd see one of these again, huh? ^_^ Sorry for the delay. I also tried harder to keep the narration more in character, over the last few chapters,  which was a hard thing to do when you're used to writing in third person. ^^()

Instant Messages in the Night

Chapter Twelve:

Moon-Flesh

*Serena's POV*

I don't think I have the skill or the words to describe what happened next. 

I felt a weird sense of calm come over me, and then… My body went limp – I could feel my toes relax, and a weird, almost icy feeling spread from my toes to my feet, to my heels, up my shins. It traveled up my knees and along my thighs, and suddenly my upper half was too heavy to support, and I felt myself lay down, suddenly as weak to the will of the feeling as a rag doll, as the cold journeyed up my stomach and chest, to my head. 

My eyelids were suddenly too heavy to keep open, and they closed slowly. 

My throat felt thick and weighted as if my breath was being cut off, and I struggled to pull in air. Yet my lungs were moving in a pattern that I wasn't controlling, they were contracting and relaxing in slow steady breaths. I couldn't control my breathing. Panicking now, I tried to thrash, to move, to do anything, but I couldn't. My body wouldn't respond. My eyes wouldn't even open. I tried – Oh, God – I tried but I just couldn't open my eyes. Behind them, a pressing, pressing blackness overwhelmed me.

***

I woke up in slow degrees. I was lying on a cold stone floor, my messy hair sprawled out around me. Automatically, I realized that wherever I was, it was certainly not a dream, not even one of the scary, realistic dreams of a time long past that I have been having lately. A dream isn't this vivid.

I sat up slowly, looking around at my surroundings as I shakily got to my feet.

I was in a courtyard garden, filled with beautiful, pearl-colored roses. Rising up around the courtyard was a – castle? – of glowing white marble. Above me the sky was dark, yet the courtyard was bright as day. I don't think I have ever seen the stars so bright before. 

The smell of the roses was intoxicatingly sweet, it seemed to bathe the courtyard in fragrance. 

A gentle wind whispered through the garden, causing the heads of the roses to bow. A single petal drifted on the wind, I couldn't help the smile that formed on my face as I watched it. It landed at my feet. I bent down and picked it up, rubbing my thumb along the large petal. It felt different than any flower that I'd ever touched before. It felt…it felt like silk. Or maybe water. It was the weirdest thing. 

"You shouldn't be here, child." A lovely, musical voice said. I turned around to see the most beautiful person I'd ever seen standing at a fountain filled with silver, mirror-like water. She was too pretty for jealousy, I felt. All I could feel was awe. She blended in with the garden, with her pale, pure complexion, flowing silver hair and marble-colored gown, but her bright blue eyes – kinda like mine, now that I think about it – stood out sharply. 

"Is this your garden?"

The woman smiled, her slim hand dropping into the water. "Yes, it is. Does it please you?" Her smile seemed fake, and it didn't reach her eyes, which were openly sad. 

"It's gorgeous." I said. I felt out of place and indecent, in nothing but a bra and a pair of ratty black cotton shorts. But the lady didn't seem to mind. 

"I'm glad, Serenity." She began to walk towards me, her skirts pooling around her feet like moon-flesh… The dress looked as if it was part of the moon itself, torn off to suit this lady.

"Uh, no, it's just Serena." It was weird correcting her. She seemed to have age-old knowledge in those wise eyes.

"I see." She seemed so distant now, even more than before. "Follow me."

Numbly, I obeyed. She led me through a jasmine hedge maze, with grace that would make a ballet dancer seethe with jealousy. She stopped at the center, with me at her side. In the clearing, in the center of the hard-packed dirt ground, instead of a tiny table or something that I had been expecting, was a statue of a weeping angel. 

She was on her knees, like she had given up all hope, her face buried in the crook of one arm. In her other hand, which was held away from her, was a shallow dish, filled with the same strange, silvery liquid that had been in the fountain.

"Take a look," The woman told me. "And see what your future holds, child."

Curious now, I crossed to the dish, and peered in. At first the water showed nothing but my face, looking back at me. Then … it changed. Blood appeared, pouring from a gash on my forehead, and my mouth was set in a grim line. My hair was matted, and stained with blood. My left eye had a long, diagonal scar across it, keeping it swollen shut.

With a flash of white light, my face disappeared to show a sword. The sword was stained with blood on the mirror-like blade; blood covered the golden handle, set with opals. In the center of the opal, was a strange, pulsing green glow. The sword disappeared, showing a barren plain, littered with limp bodies…

"That's enough." The woman said softly.

I didn't hear her. I leaned closer, until my nose was less than an inch away from the gunk in the bowl, only to have a hand grab my shoulder, roughly yanking me away. 

There was a kind of cold fury on the woman's face. "I can perform many acts of magic, Serena, but if you touch that, I cannot even come close to rescuing you."

I was frightened now. "Who are you?" I asked softly.

"Queen Selene, of the Moon." She replied, her face losing that harsh edge, as she reached out, tracing my face with one finger. 

I gasped, realizing what this meant. "Who is the princess? We have to find her…We…."

She gave a quiet chuckle. "I can't tell you, dear child. The answer is in your heart."

"What about that voice I –"

"That voice you heard a short while ago… you should never have picked up."

"Why can't you tell me?" I demanded, feeling a hot kind of fury. Here I had all the answers, but the source refused to give me even a vague clue.

"You are not strong enough, child. You are not complete yet, nor are you prepared for the kind of truths I can give you." She looked truly sad. "I apologize for the anguish you have been going through recently, but you must weather such trials, if you wish to survive the war."

I was at a loss for words. 

"Keep everything a secret, or you will be used and used terribly. Your trials will pass, dearest, and then all will become clear."

My body convulsed sharply. And I was sent back to the ill body I had left behind, without any answers. 


End file.
